When brewing a hot beverage that is intended to be served cold or chilled, it is desirable to quickly cool the hot brewed beverage to a temperature closer to the desired serving temperature. Iced/cold coffee is one such beverage, and is of particular interest as it is popular among commuters and workers. It can be necessary for coffee shops and kiosks, cafes, restaurants, etc., to brew and cool a large quantity of a beverage in a short period of time, such as a commuting time before work, during break and lunch times, and the like. Other beverages can include, but are not limited to: brewed teas, ciders, beverages prepared from concentrates, pods, mixtures of beverages, and the like.
Adding ice to a hot beverage in quantity sufficient to cool the beverage to the desirable temperature can have the negative consequence of diluting the beverage strength to an unacceptable level if the ice is not accurately measured. Further cooling of the dispensed individual beverage is typically desired and accomplished through adding of ice in the serving cup. Another option for cooling is to place a cooling media such as ice or other frozen liquid in a smaller leak proof container and then to place the smaller container into the vessel to be brewed into. The container will then be in contact with and absorb heat from the brewed beverage to cool it. The walls of the container, chilled by the frozen media within, help to cool the beverage without adding liquid to dilute the beverage, which may be desired or undesired, depending on the beverage recipe. However, this process is typically found to be less efficient and thereby slower than cooling by mixing with ice.
As a potential problem, when using a smaller container containing a cooling medium within a larger vessel holding the brewed beverage in a non-mixing manner to cool the brewed beverage, normal markings on the larger vessel denoting interior volume will not accurately indicate brewed beverage volume, and can lead to confusion and errors when adding ice and/or liquid to dilute the beverage.
For productivity, efficiency, and simplicity, it would be desirable to reduce the steps and time for producing a properly cooled and diluted brewed beverage product such as a cold or iced coffee, and need for measurement or guessing of ice or other diluting media amounts. Thus, what is sought is an improved manner of preparing a diluted cooled brewed or other beverage that overcomes one or more of the shortcomings and limitations set forth above.